<p>Princeton is my #1 choice, and I am just thinking that it might be beneficial to complete the actual Princeton application rather than sending in the more generic Common Application with the Princeton Supplement.</p>
<p>Do you think spending extra time and effort on the Princeton app would demonstrate to Princeton that I really want to go there? Or should I just go with the Common App?</p>
<p>The Common Application colleges all agree NOT to give preference to their own application forms. If you are applying to other Common Application colleges (which are getting to be quite numerous these days), you may save yourself some time and effort by using the Common Application core sections as you apply to Princeton.</p>
<p>But you've got to wonder, is that really true? After all, why wouldn't Princeton just switch entirely to the common app like so many other colleges have?</p>
<p>I would look carefully at each application, and if in your case one presents the better opportunity to show yourself to the best advantage, go with that.
Michele Hernandez in "A Is For Admission", for one, expressed frustration with the Common Application. I doubt she would have voiced this frustration to the public when she was still an admissions officer.</p>
<p>Well, my son applied to Dartmouth about the time that book came out and they did have a supplement to the Common Ap. So did every other college he was interested in.
I think colleges have always used supplements, if only for fairly straight-forward information.</p>
<p>I think I'm gonna go ahead and just complete the Princeton application. Like ducktape said, it will only take slightly more time, and could possibly be an edge. Also, after looking them over, Princeton's application seems a bit more complete than the Common w/ Supplement.</p>
<p>I don't think it makes a bit of difference. Princeton's goal is to create the strongest freshman class it can, not to turn down otherwise qualified applicants because they used the "wrong" application.</p>
<p>For the record, I got in using the Common App.</p>